I am new to message boards, new to writing. I have been writing for a bit more than a year now, and other than friends, no one has seen my work. I have received high praise for my short stories and for my song lyrics for my band. I write with emotion...by that, I mean I do not edit my work, polish it, or plan it. It just happens. A lot of what I write deals with relationships, coming of age, self loathing, etc. For the most part, I am drawing from personal experiences such as growing up in New York, forming relationships with girls with personality disorders, my own mental disorders, drugs/sex/rock&roll, my parents divorce, my friends'/families drug use, and so on. Writing has been an outlet for me. I also play music, but they are two completely different ways of coping with life. Oh, I'm 24, graduated from The Pennsylvania University as an Engineer 2nd in my class...I was always more of a technical person, but as I'm aging, I'm moving away from the boring life of Math and Science and moving into the arts. I'll post something soon enough...I suppose I'll just post my work in the order they were written. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading all your work as well and hopefully improving on my own writing abilities.
Hello Eres, Welcome to the Writing Forums. You know, you don't have to choose between being a math/science guy and being a writer. Posting your own work should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
